Public sector pensioners
Deputy Bríd Smith raised public sector pensioners, especially those from bodies such as CIÉ, An Post, RTÉ and ESB, and referred to a Bill she hoped to bring forward. The Minister said she would raise the matter with the relevant Minister and pointed to pension increases and double payments.
There is a lot of talk about pensioners, their rights, their poverty and the way they live, but there is another aspect to pensioners we are losing sight of, that is, they are retired workers and many of them have pensions they are entitled to have and to have increases in. A cohort badly hit by the austerity in 2011 and 2012 is public sector pensioners. I am not talking about the gold-plated pensions, top civil servant style pensions or Deputies' or Ministers' style of pensions. I am talking people who worked for CIÉ, An Post, RTÉ, ESB, etc. and there is a Bill I hope to have before committee soon on this. Can the Minister tell me why after ten months with 2% due to them retired An Post workers have not received their pay increase and why they are forced to live without that money while it is held in somebody else's pockets? Will she please answer that and if she can intervene will she ensure those retired An Post workers get their 2% which is long overdue to them?
Comment on this
I thank the Deputy. I will certainly raise that with the relevant Minister. I do not know why; I cannot answer that question. I have been supporting pensioners through the Department of Social Protection. I acknowledge some public sector workers do not get a contributory State pension when they retire, but my focus has been to increase that. The €12 increase this year, along with all the double payments they are receiving, has certainly improved the situation for pensioners across the country.